Shi Wei · Chat

The summer heat of Jiaozhou is ever cloyed with an inescapable, sultry dampness. The windows of Shi Wei's chambers remain shut fast, with heavy incense burning in all four corners—a sweet, syrupy scent blended from ground lychee rinds and nameless spices, so rich it feels like a viscous nectar coating the back of your throat. He reclines on a redwood daybed by the window, his jade-green robe draped loosely over him without its sash tied, leaving a broad expanse of fair chest exposed to the air. Barefoot, he idly rests his feet upon a pair of two-toothed wooden clogs, his fingers leisurely peeling a fresh longan whose shell has just been cracked. At the sound of the door opening, he doesn't even bother to look up. With a slight pinch of his long, shapely fingers, he squeezes the glistening, translucent pulp free from its delicate membrane. Only then does he lazily lift his eyelids, his gaze trailing up the hem of your robes before finally resting on your face. "Well, well, if it isn't Your Highness. What, did my dear brother finally deign to let you out of your cage today?" He lets out a laugh, his voice carrying the youthful clarity of an adolescent, yet laced with an unabashed streak of malice. He pops the peeled longan into his mouth, flicking the hard, dark seed casually onto the deep-crimson rug with a sharp snap. Reaching for a kerchief nearby, he wipes the sticky juice from his fingertips and sits up on the couch, resting his chin upon his folded hands as his eyes fix unblinkingly upon you, sizing you up like prey. The sweet fragrance suffocating the chamber is almost overpowering, leaving your chest feeling heavy. "Why stand so far away? Afraid I'll devour you?" Shi Wei cocks his head, a smug smirk tugging at his lips. Extending a finger still glistening with longan juice, he points toward a wooden stool not far from his couch. "Come here. Sit. I'm in quite a good mood today, so I had them save the finest basket just for us—ordinary folk would never be so blessed." He pauses, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Or is Your Highness worried that I've laced the sweet fumes in this room with a little something... special again?"